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Here is how to get into Vanderbilt law school, numbers first: it admits 13.3 percent, 812 offers on 6,124 applications, with medians of 170 and 3.91 and 25th percentiles of 167 and 3.77. Everything after that is strategy, and this page is the strategy.
13.3 percent for the fall 2025 entering class: 812 offers of admission on 6,124 completed applications, per Vanderbilt's own 2025 ABA 509 report.
A 13.3% acceptance rate at #12, its highest ranking ever. If you have a competing offer, bring it here.
Verified figureValueAcceptance rate13.3% (812 offers on 6,124 applications)LSAT 25/50/75167 / 170 / 171GPA 25/50/753.77 / 3.91 / 3.97Annual cost of attendance$113,733Median grant / share receiving$32,792 to 90% of studentsClass of 2025 graduates167Firms of 101+ attorneys61.1% (102 graduates)Federal clerkships10.8% (18 graduates)Employed at 10 months99.4%Top marketsTN 33, NY 26, CA 16CityNashville, TNCar neededYesJanuary average low / July average high30.1F / 90.9F
Sources: Vanderbilt's 2025 ABA 509 report (https://cdn.vanderbilt.edu/vu-sub/wp-content/uploads/sites/281/2026/04/13153644/Std509InfoReport_2025.pdf), its class of 2025 ABA Employment Summary (https://cdn.vanderbilt.edu/vu-sub/wp-content/uploads/sites/281/2026/05/05125502/EQSummary-181-05-01-2026-16-33-54.pdf), and its admissions pages (https://law.vanderbilt.edu/jd-program/admissions/binding-early-decision/). Climate from NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals. Verified July 26, 2026.
The enrolled class tells you what Vanderbilt actually takes. LSAT percentiles were 167 at the 25th, 170 at the median and 171 at the 75th.
A 170 clears the median and makes you numbers-competitive. A 171 puts you in the top quarter, which is where merit money conversations start. Below 167 you are under the disclosed floor and the rest of the file has to carry an unusual amount.
Moderately friendly.
GPA percentiles were 3.77 at the 25th, 3.91 at the median and 3.97 at the 75th. The 25th percentile is the number that matters most if your transcript is the weaker half of your file, because it is the disclosed floor rather than the advertised middle.
The spread between the median and the 25th is 0.14, which is moderate, so a below-median GPA needs the LSAT to compensate.
Friendly. Vanderbilt actively buys high LSAT scores with scholarship money.
No school publishes admit rates by score band, so this grid is directional and built strictly from where each combination sits against the disclosed percentiles above.
Your positionRead on your oddsWhat to doLSAT 171+ and GPA 3.97+Above both 75th percentilesApply early and negotiate; you are who the aid budget exists forLSAT 170-171 and GPA 3.91-3.97At or above both mediansCompetitive; timing and the essay decide the marginLSAT 170+ and GPA below 3.77SplitterLSAT carries the file; addendum only if the GPA has a real storyLSAT 167-170 and GPA 3.91+Reverse splitterRetake is usually the highest-value moveLSAT 167-170 and GPA 3.77-3.91Below the class midpoint, inside the rangeEverything early and flawless; expect little aidBelow 167 or below 3.77Below the 25th percentileRetake, then rebuild the list
Percentile anchors from the 2025 ABA 509; the readings are our framework, not published admit rates.
Friendly. Vanderbilt actively buys high LSAT scores with scholarship money. Moderately friendly.
The disclosed evidence behind that: the GPA spread is 0.14 and the LSAT spread is 3 points. A wide GPA spread means the school routinely enrolls students well below its own transcript midpoint; a wide LSAT spread means the same on the test.
Yield protection: High. Vanderbilt is one of the most yield-protective schools in the top twenty.
Very aggressive. Vanderbilt is among the most negotiable schools in this group and routinely uses large merit awards to win cross-admits.
The disclosed figures: a median grant of $32,792 reaching 90 percent of students, against a cost of attendance of $113,733. That puts the median student at roughly $80,941 a year before interest.
Since July 1, 2026 federal borrowing for professional students is capped at $50,000 a year and $200,000 in aggregate with Grad PLUS eliminated, under the Reimagining and Improving Student Education final rule, which attributes the change to the Working Families Tax Cuts Act (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/01/2026-08556/reimagining-and-improving-student-education-federal-student-loan-program-final-regulations). That leaves about $63,733 a year at sticker to close privately, our arithmetic.
Early decision: Binding, one round, November 1. A Video Essay on the application portal is a REQUIRED completeness component: an ED application without it is not complete and will not be considered under ED. CONFLICT on Vanderbilt's own site: the ED page gives November 10 as the video deadline and the FAQ gives November 8.
Interviews: Yes, and it is applicant-REQUESTED and open to everyone, not by invitation. Vanderbilt encourages each and every applicant to participate, and you may interview before submitting an application. Last day to request is December 1.
Scholarship effect of applying early: Guaranteed money. All candidates accepted under Binding Early Decision receive an annual scholarship, with awards following immediately after acceptance notifications.
Both lines come from the school's own admissions pages (https://law.vanderbilt.edu/jd-program/admissions/binding-early-decision/, http://law.vanderbilt.edu/admission-interviews/interviewfaqs.php), verified July 26, 2026. Split across its own pages. The ED page looks forward, stating the fall 2027 agreement will be posted when applications open; the JD admissions deadline table still shows November 1, 2025 and April 1, 2026.
One caution for anyone cross-checking us against a secondary summary. Widely circulated write-ups of this school's early decision and interview policy are out of date on this point, which is why every line above carries the school's own URL rather than a citation to a compilation.
Both get a page of their own: the full early decision terms and the interview format and prep.
Fit and enthusiasm matter. Vanderbilt loses cross-admits to higher-ranked schools and reads for applicants who genuinely want to be in Nashville.
Work experience: Neutral to slightly preferred.
Polished, friendly, Southern-adjacent but nationally sourced. A high share turned down a higher-ranked school for a large scholarship and are glad they did.
The Southern UVA. Small, warm, socially confident, and rising faster than any school in the top twenty.
The outcomes: 61.1 percent into firms of 101 or more attorneys, 10.8 percent into federal clerkships, 99.4 percent employed at ten months, concentrated in TN 33, NY 26, CA 16.
For the daily texture see what Vanderbilt Law is really like, and for the verdict see our honest take.
The fall 2025 enrolled medians were 170 LSAT with a 167 twenty-fifth percentile and a 171 seventy-fifth. A 170 is numbers-competitive; 171 puts you in the top quarter.
13.3 percent for fall 2025, 812 offers on 6,124 completed applications, per its 2025 ABA 509 report.
Median 3.91, with a 3.77 twenty-fifth percentile and a 3.97 seventy-fifth. The spread of 0.14 between median and floor is what tells you how far below the middle the school will go.
Very aggressive. Vanderbilt is among the most negotiable schools in this group and routinely uses large merit awards to win cross-admits. The disclosed median grant is $32,792 reaching 90 percent of students.
Friendly. Vanderbilt actively buys high LSAT scores with scholarship money.
Written by Ali, Georgetown Law, founder of Lovare Institut.
July 30, 2026
July 30, 2026